Only Room For One
by swiftshifty
Summary: What would happen if a vicious, cold-hearted, sociopathic killer arrived in rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy's world, and he looked just like him? In this action packed, romantic sci-fi drama, Xavier (Leon's evil counterpart) notices that for every person he kills, he gets stronger, faster, and smarter. How many lives will Xavier take before he becomes an immortal god?
1. (Update)

**UPDATE:**

Hi, guys. I haven't updated this one in well over a year, but I'm planning to returning (and hopefully finishing) this. I'm deciding however to completely rewrite this story. The plot and concept will remain the same, but everything else will be improved, especially the details and grammar. So, after this update chapter, the following writing will be outdated and replaced soon. If anyone has criticisms, please let me know.


	2. Prologue

**(Author's Note:** Hello, guys! This story will be a lengthy one that will be updated quite often. It's also my **first** story ever to be published on this site or any other site, so enjoy the ride! If you wish, feel free to leave a positive or a negative review. Since I'm fairly new at this, I'll be taking all that I can get. Also, as of 6/15/18, this story will be undergoing some changes in terms of grammar and detail, not the story overall. With that being said, I hope you guys enjoy my first story. Let me know what you think! **)**

* * *

 **Prologue**

Xavier Reddick of the Karrob Universe was a young man that lived in the city of Jucana. The Karrob Universe was by far one of the most advanced universes among the many thousands that existed. Karrob was one of the only ones to realize that there is not one universe, but a multiverse, all parallel to one another.  
Xavier was born with an abnormal ability that allowed him to easily adapt and learn new things by experience faster than others. But the most important trait of his was the fact that for every person he killed, he gets stronger, faster, and smarter. He discovered this one day while he was in the police force when he was forced to shoot and kill a criminal out of self defense.

He felt sick at that moment. He just couldn't believe that he took away another human being's life. That is until he felt this odd, strange feeling in himself after doing so. It felt weird..., unusual..., bizarre even. But it felt good! The feeling inside himself was like a drug. And soon he killed another criminal, and another, and another, and eventually his own allies.

No one was safe. Crooks, cops, and even defenseless civilians were being killed. He was getting too strong, too fast, too powerful. Xavier was practically superhuman at that point. Reddick refused to stop until he became the immortal God he'd dreamt of being, having the world and the universes in his palm under his control. Xavier's reign of terror fortunately came to an end a few years later after being captured successfully by one of the most elite Karrob hunters that have been studying him for a long time.

Meanwhile, in the Venix Universe, a man named Leon S. Kennedy is accepting a rookie position at Raccoon City Police Department. Leon is a polite and kind person that tries to make things right for not only himself, but others around him. He cares deeply for his mother, Mrs. Kennedy.

Leon looked up to his father and ever since he was a little boy, he always wanted to be a cop just like him. Unfortunately at the age of eight, he lost his father after he died on the job during a shootout. Kennedy lived in a single parent household ever since for over a decade. It still didn't stop him from pursuing his dream of being a police officer. If anything, it motivated and pushed him even more.

Two separate personalities that were born in two separate universes, but they look exactly the same. Once they're on the same universe together, there can be only one identity. There's only room for **one.**


	3. 1: Transport

**Only Room For One**

Many marching footsteps begin to fill the quiet, empty hallway. A group of heavily armed and armored officers are escorting a man in fully white clothing, made of cloth, and in cuffs.  
It was a long hallway. It felt like an eternity for them to finally reach the end of the hallway. They enter a huge room with a big steel chair facing them, and a computer and its operator to the far of their left not too far from it.  
And on their right, a crowd of people watching. Emotions were high in the room. Some gasped in shock when they saw the prisoner. Some cried, some were enraged, some were completely frozen, while others just simply watched.  
The men takes the cuffed prisoner over to the chair and they set him in. The officers back away and one of them nods at the operator. He pushes a button and instantly steel cuffs traps his wrists and ankles.

A short fully shaved man in a blue suit walked into the room, facing the prisoner. The man opened his mouth, not saying anything. Many things were racing in his mind as her lowered his head. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked back up at the prisoner.

"My name is Victor Faustin, the mayor of this city, Jucana. Mr. Xavier, you have performed many horrific crimes and acts of violence that..." Faustin pauses as he notices that a few tears are beginning to fill his eyes. Victor lowers his head once again, sighing.

Victor looks back up at Xavier, who he sees wearing a devious smirk. Faustin takes a long deep breath once again, able to speak without getting choked up in any emotion.

"That is deemed absolutely unacceptable. We couldn't even picture a wild animal being this cruel and vicious as you were. You're a senseless murderer, a killing machine with no morals. You killed seventy four counts of people in the span of three years. These people in the room today lost their loved ones because of you... I lost my loved ones because of you." For a short moment, Faustin stares Xavier in his cold, disturbing eyes. Faustin speaks to Xavier in a soft voice, "I don't want you to stay here, rot here, or die here...I don't want your evil, vile spirits in this city, let alone the universe. Anything you'd like to say?"

Xavier turns his head to the crowd, who stare back at him quietly. He pans his head slowly, looking at every single head in the crowd before looking back at Faustin, letting out a small chuckle.

"If you were given the same opportunity I had...you'd all do what I did. It's just a matter of chance, really. You're all just unlucky to be the victims, crying and begging at my feet to spare you any mercy." Xavier stares Faustin coldly in the eyes and speaks slowly, having a more darker and serious tone.

"When I come back...you'll all regret this day...I'm going to give you all one...final...chance. Release me."  
Faustin looks at the operator and nods. The operator pushes a few buttons on the machine, setting it to a seperate prison universe. A big bright light fills the room, eradicating Xavier completely from their universe in a matter of seconds. The only thing left of him were the echos of his screams.


	4. 2: Arriving to Venix

**Chapter Two: Arriving to Venix**

The operator had a worried look on his face. He typed away quickly shortly after the transport of Xavier.

"No, no, no!" the operator said in a soft, yet panicked tone.

Faustin looked over at the operator,

"What's wrong?" Faustin asked confusingly.

"T-The machine! It's like it's-it's been messed with! Someone must've did a destination override!" The operator exclaimed.

"Where's it going?"

Faustin asked calmly. However, the operator was so focused on the machine, he didn't bother to reply.

"Where's that son of a bitch going?!" Faustin asked once again, this time in a demanding, booming tone.

"Venix. T-The Venix Universe, sir. I-I can't do anything about it." The operator said in a disappointed and quiet tone, as he gave a slight frown.

"I'm sorry, sir." He added.

An Asian woman in a red dress in the back of the crowd grinned slightly as she was glad to hear that the escape worked.

Xavier woke up in the middle of the woods at midnight and felt extremely dizzy. He began to cough profusely and nearly vomited due to not being used to high speed travel between universes.

After a couple of minutes of getting himself together, he stood up and he looked around the unfamiliar universe. He took his first few steps in Venix before falling down and coughed a bit more. He stood back up and continued to wander around the woods.

An hour passed of him walking around the woods. Xavier was feeling hungry, tired, sick, and had no sense of direction in this new place. He didn't even have a clue of what universe he landed in. Eventually after a few more minutes, he found himself on a dark, empty street.

Xavier slowly walked on the street as he looked around the environment. All of a sudden, a car came to a halt, which was followed by a loud honk.

"Get out of the road, jackass! The hell's the matter with you, huh?!" The enraged driver yelled out while continuing to furiously honk at him, annoyed by Xavier's carelessness.

Xavier looked over at the man in the car and without a word spoken, he simply gave him a smirk.

"Come on! Get out of the road!" The driver shouted once again whilst he bashed the honk.

Xavier began to casually stroll along the car's passenger side and forcefully kicked the door in. The driver let out a loud groan of frustration and disbelief. He angrily took off his seatbelt and opened his driver door,.

"Son of-..."

The man muttered. Once he saw the damages on the other side of the car, his jaw dropped.

"Oh my... _god_! What did you do?!"

His face turned bright as a tomato in absolute anger.

"And I _just_ bought this car!"

The man looked over at Xavier walking away.  
"Get over here! Get the _fuck_ over right this instant! You _will_ pay for my damages! Hey, hey!"

He stormed towards Xavier and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"I'm talking to you, asshole!"

Xavier stopped and turned his head. In one quick, swift motion he slapped the man's hand off of him and punched him hard in the chest, sending him a few feet back and down to the ground.

The man coughed loudly and moaned in pain. He held his chest and let out a few gasps and pain filled winces. Xavier walked over to him, His face read of satisfaction.

"N-No, s-stop! I-I'm sorry!"

The man pleaded for his life desperately while he tried to crawl away. Xavier grabbed him by the throat with a strong and forceful grip in his left hand. and began to choke him. Xavier stared the man in the eyes and watched his life slip away in a matter of seconds. He finally finished the man off after a snap sound from his neck was heard. Xavier dropped his body and stepped over him.

Xavier walked over to the driver side of the car and got into the driver's seat. He closed the door and saw the key already in the ignition. Xavier drove off from the scene with a happy grin on his face. He was finally free once again.


	5. 3: Arriving to Raccoon City

**Chapter Three: Arriving to Raccoon City**

On the same night Xavier arrived to the Venix Universe and in Raccoon City, Leon Kennedy was about to move to Raccoon City for his job at RPD. After hours of packing his things and getting ready for the trip to his new home that he rented out in Raccoon City, he was finally ready to go.

He felt extremely nervous since being a police officer was his dream ever since he was a little kid, but the fact that it was becoming a reality was unreal to him.  
"Well, this is it." Leon said to his mother proudly with a wide grin on his face.

"Oh, my dear son is becoming a man." His mother hugged him tightly with tears rolling down her cheeks, mixed with both happiness for her son, as well as sadness to see him go.

"Be sure to visit me whenever you can, okay Leon?"

"I will, I promise. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and finally let go him.

"Here, take this." Leon's mother took off a golden watch from her wrist and offered it to Leon. "You know, it was your father's before he...well..."

Leon looked at her with a sense of confusion.

, "Mom, you do know I'll be only an hour or two away, right? I'm not going across the world."Leon spoke softly.

"Leon, please...just...take it. Please." Her eyes filled with tears as Leon stared down at the watch and gently took it. He gave her a hug.

"I'll miss you", Leon repeated once again.

"I'll miss you too, dear. Please...be safe, okay?"

Leon nodded and they let go. He got inside of his car and waved at his mother goodbye before he drove off.

After a couple hours of driving, Leon reached Raccoon City. He saw his apartment building not so long after. In excitement, Leon eagerly turned off his car and got out and made his way into the building. The building was crummy and infested with rodents, but Leon didn't care. After all, it was what he could afford at the time.

He finally had his own place and most importantly, he achieved his life-long goal of being an officer. Once he reached his apartment and entered it, he felt like the happiest man on Earth. Even though it was just a small, cramped one bedroom apartment, it was the freedom Leon felt that made him so alive. Leon spent the next couple of hours unpacking and he ended the night when he slept on the cold, wooden floor.

The next morning, Leon woke up and yawned loudly while he stretched. He checked the time on the watch his mother gave him. It was seven in the morning. His first day started at two. He thought to himself that he should buy some groceries to fill the fridge. Leon proceeded to get up from the floor and threw on some clothes. His hair was a complete mess, but he didn't bother to fix it up. He stepped out of his apartment and walked down the street towards a grocery store.

Once he arrived at the grocery store, he looked down at the watch. He thought to himself,

 _I still don't understand why she gave this to me. Whatever I gu-_

His thought came to an abrupt end after he bumped into a woman around his age. She had long red hair and wore a red jacket and jeans. Leon looked up at her and smiled.

"I'm so sorry, miss." Leon chuckled nervously, his face turned a bit red from the embarrassment.

"Aw, it's okay. Just watch where you're going" The woman said teasingly as she giggled, which Leon laughed as well.

"Um, you do-don't...happen to...um...kn-know where...uh..."

Leon's mind was scrambling for excuses to use to keep the conversation with her. He found her to be attractive enough that it intrigued him.  
The woman kept a friendly smile while she patiently waited for him to finish his sentence.

"Uh...the er...pet...store?" He internally rolled his eyes at his own question.

 _That was real fucking lame._

"Heh, no I don't. Sorry. I don't really like pets, so I don't really bother knowing where they are."

"Oh, yeah. Uh, I don't really like pets either." Leon chuckled.

"Then why'd you ask?" She asked confusingly.

"Uh...friend?"

The woman giggled once again. Leon felt like a complete idiot at that point and was discouraged.

"Hey, uh...Are you...you know? Doing anything tonight or tomorrow by any chance?"

"No, why do you ask?" She seemed pretty amused by his efforts.

"Well, I'm new to the city and I don't have much to do. Could use a friend to just talk to, you know?"

"Mhm. My name's Claire. You?"

"Leon. Nice to meet you." He grinned widely and felt a sense of pride that it was going well so far.

"Nice to meet you, too. Here, I'll give you my number."

She took out a piece of paper and searched for a pen. Leon eagerly took one out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Here you go!" He flashed a grin as Claire chuckled.

.  
"Thanks!"

She wrote down her number and handed it over to Leon.

"See you soon. Bye, handsome." Claire waved off before she walked away.

"Bye.

" Leon waved back her. He felt rather impressed with himself of how great the encounter was. At that point, he completely forgot what he came to the store to get, so he left.

Less than a minute later, Xavier entered the store. Xavier froze and he took a short breath and let out a light gasp as he looked around. He felt a strange presence within himself upon entering the store. Xavier slowly moved his feet into motion towards the back of the grocery store. He was amazed by all the food that was there. He hadn't eaten a proper meal in over a year since being captured.

Xavier picked up an apple and stared at it before taking huge bites out of it. An elderly man who happened to be an employee of the store looked on in complete disgust by the way Xavier was eating like a hungry dog, devouring the apple in a matter of seconds. He dropped it to the ground and grabbed another, repeating the same action.

"S-Son, what are you doing? Aren't you gonna pay for that? Sir?"

Xavier ignored him and continued to eat. He moved on to another apple.

"Sir!" The old man placed his hand on Xavier's arm. He stopped chewing and spat chunks of apple out, slowly turning his attention to him.

Xavier had an infuriated look on his face and as retaliation for the interruption, he responded in a loud, aggressive tone.

" _What?!_ " People in the store began to watch the situation unfold they heard a thunderous shout. The elderly man started to shake and so did his voice.

"I-I-I'm going to...a-ask you to leave."

Xavier couldn't believe what he was hearing. A person he deemed as an inferior had instructed him to leave. He felt disrespected. Xavier suddenly put his hand around the man's throat aggressively and began to choke him. The crowd of people screamed in disbelief. A couple of men tried to pull Xavier away from him, but they were no match for his strength and resilience. Xavier got closer into the old employee's face, which was filled in terror.

"You first."  
Xavier shoved him with one hand across the store into the freezers. Everyone screamed in fear and shock. People began to run out of the store, while others tried to fight him.

A tall man rushed towards Xavier and went to furiously hit him with a right hook. He quickly reacted and simply side-stepped. Xavier grabbed his arm and snapped it fairly easily in a vicious manner. The man let out a pain filled cry as he dropped to the floor..

Two boys in their late teens went to rush him at once, but all it resulted in was them simply being thrown through shelves. Suddenly, Xavier heard a cocking sound of a handgun behind him, followed by a gunshot. With his abnormally fast reaction time, he turned around and ran over to the shooter. Xavier dodged the bullet and easily disassembled the gun.

The man looked at him in shock before getting a strong uppercut, which sent him flying into the air a few feet and back down hard. Xavier noticed that once everyone stopped fighting him, they started to run out. He ran out of the store and escaped by cutting through an alleyway between two buildings near it. Police sirens went off in the distance.


	6. 4: The Investigation Begins

**Chapter IV: The Investigation Begins**

After Xavier just barely escapes, a cop car and an ambulance arrive at the store in a fairly quick response time.

Two middle-aged male police officers stepped out of their cruiser, and closed the doors rather loudly. They approached the store owner who appeared in his 50s that was sitting on the curb with his face buried in his hands, feeling terribly upset and frustrated.

Their badges read "Officer Jones" and "Officer Wayne". Officer Jones lowered himself with his hand sitting firmly on his holster.  
"Are you okay, sir?"  
The store owner looks back up at the duo, shaking his head. He clenches his teeth as he explained to the cops of what had just transpired.  
"Some...some BASTARD ruined my store! I mean look at it! My shelves, my freezers, all broken!"  
Officer Wayne looked through the window and raised an eyebrow, indeed seeing the damage but was more considered of the injured people on the floor.

"We need more ambulances, Jones. Call them in", Officer Wayne said to Jones in a calm tone. Jones nodded and walked away from the two as he went to request more doctors over his radio. Wayne looks back at the store owner.

"Tell me exactly what happened. Did you see anything?" Officer Wayne pulls out a notepad and pen, ready to jot down some notes regarding the crime scene.

"W-Well, yeah. I was just checking in on my workers to see how business was going. And then out of nowhere, I heard all this commotion followed by a loud thud a-and glass shattering, right at aisle 7! My freezer! Mr. Stevens! H-He went right into it!" The store owner began to stutter out of panic and spoke at a really fast pace that Wayne couldn't keep up with.

"A-A-And th-. O-Oh God, I do-don't even know wh-why, or what, or-"  
"Sir."  
"M-My business is ruined! A-A-And gunshots a-an-"  
"Sir." Officer Wayne raised his voice a little bit.  
"L-Loud crash, thud, sn-snap, an-!"  
"Sir!" The store owner stopped speaking immediately.  
"Listen, take a deep breath, okay? Just relax."  
The store owner takes a deep breath for a few moments before looking back at his damaged store.  
"Ah, ah! Sir! Look at me. Look."  
He quickly turns his head back Wayne.  
"Look, listen. I know what you just went through was tough. Having your business destroyed by some crook. I know how you feel, my uncle went through the same thing fifteen years ago. But it was resolved. Believe me, if you just calm down, try to tell me as much information as possible and cooperate with me, trust me that you have my word that I...WE will find out who did this. Okay?" Officer Wayne tried to sound as reassuring and professional as possible.

The store owner nods slowly, seeming to have calmed down.  
"Now, start from the beginning. Where were you when this happened?"  
"I uh...I was...I was at cashier 4, just checking on our profits for the day...and then, I just heard everyone gather around aisle 7. Before I knew it, a loud thud and crash was heard. It sounded like someone was sent flying into something. Of course, I found out it was Mr. Stevens, one of my good employees, that was unfortunately injured by this punk."

Officer Wayne nods as he jots down the notes.  
"Mhm, keep going. And?"  
"After that, people started screaming and running out of the store like they just saw a ghost! I heard noise and thuds, which sounded like a fight. I could've sworn someone broke something, because I heard this loud bone cracking. A-And then..a gunshot. After that? Everyone, and I mean everyone left!"  
"So, it wasn't a robbery?"  
"I was by the cash registers, I didn't see anyone point a gun anywhere near there. I-I'm not sure."  
Officer Wayne nods, clearing his throat as he jots down the final notes.  
"And your name?"  
"Joseph Graham, sir."  
Wayne writes his name down and looks back at him.  
"Did you see his face?"  
"No, sir. I didn't see who did it. Maybe one of my employees?"  
"Very well. Thank you."

The officer walks away and half an hour later, Mr. Stevens was pronounced dead after sustaining fatal injuries from the impact. The rest of the victims were taken to a nearby hospital.  
Police had much more questioning to do, so Graham and his employees that were present at the scene were taken into the station.

Meanwhile, Leon finished taking a quick shower over at his apartment, cleaned up his hair, and threw on some clothes.  
He decided he should call his mother to let her know how things were.

"Hi, mom!" Leon said eagerly.  
"Hi, dear! My little boy is about to become a police officer today, huh?"  
"Little boy?" He chuckled off. "Yes, in a few hours. I'm so thrilled! I can't wait!"  
"Just please, be careful. It's very dangerous work."  
"I'm quite aware of that, mom." He chuckled once again.  
"Don't joke around, Leon! I'm serious. You can get hurt out there. Just please be careful and call me as soon as you're done for the day. Please?"  
"I promise, you'll hear from me as soon as my day is over, not even a minute after. You can count on that. I love you."  
"I love you too, dear. Just remember what I said."  
"I will. Bye!"  
"Bye-bye." They both hung up and a few hours later, Leon began to drive to the station.


	7. 5: First Day, First Date

**Chapter V: First Day, First Date**

After Leon arrived at the station, his heart was pounding so hard that he thought at any second it could burst out of his chest. He was extremely nervous. His palms were sweaty and his hands were shaky. Kennedy decided to take long, deep breaths to calm down. After a minute of breathing, he felt more relaxed and stepped out the car and made his way towards the RPD station.

Once Leon opened the door and took his first steps inside, he still couldn't believe that this day came. He was later met by one his superiors.

"Hello, my name is Fred Davis. And you must be the new one, yes?"  
"Leon Kennedy, sir."  
"Ah, nice to meet you." Davis offered a handshake to Leon. Once they shook hands, Davis noticed the sweat from his palms.  
"Nervous, are you?" Davis said with a chuckle.  
"Nope, I'm good."  
"Well, then. Let's get started."  
Kennedy began the job by learning the ropes from Davis and after six hours, his day was over. Leon was obviously engaged throughout the whole day, asking good questions and understanding what to do and picking up on new things rather quickly. The veteran was quite impressed.

Leon walked into the locker room to get undressed from his uniform and back into his regular clothes. He shut the locker and exited the locker room and then the station. Kennedy called his mother when he got inside of the car. After only a couple of rings, she picked up.

"Hi, Leon!" Mrs. Kennedy said in an exhilarated tone.  
"Hi, Mom. You doing okay?"  
"Yes, yes, but I'm more interested in you. How was it like, dear?"  
"It was exciting, fun stuff. Learned a whole lot of stuff. Didn't get to see a lot of action, though."  
"Leon, it's only your first day. Plus it's not an action movie. You should be glad nothing happened."  
"I am, believe me." He chuckled, continuing, "I'm about to get on the road. I'll call you when I'm home."  
"Okay, drive safely dear. Bye."  
"Bye."

Once they hung up, Leon started his vehicle and began to drive.

Meanwhile with Xavier, he was casually strolling up the sidewalk by a few apartment buildings. When he heard police sirens on the far left, he quickly turned his head. However, he realized that it was going the opposite direction. Once Xavier looked back ahead, he found a woman bumping into him. It turned out to be Claire, and she was walking with a tall, fit man who appeared slightly older than her.

"Oh! Hi! Again in the same day, huh? What are the odds?" Claire chuckled while Xavier simply stared at her, not having a clue what she was talking about.  
"Who's this?" The man asked Claire in a curious tone.  
"Leon, Chris! Chris, Leon!" Claire eagerly introduced them with a grin on her face.  
Chris and Xavier stared at each other in the eyes, both feeling dislike towards one another. They both didn't say a word for a short moment. Xavier finally raised one eyebrow slightly while tilting his head a bit sideways speaking to Chris in a flat, monotone of voice.  
"...Hi."  
Claire looked back and forth between the men before awkwardly chuckling.  
"So, Leon. Um, are you busy tomorrow? Maybe we can hang out."  
Xavier looked at Chris for a while before looking back at Claire, shrugging his shoulders while keeping his same tone.  
"Sure."  
"Great! Meet me by the coffee shop at 32nd. Can't miss it."  
Xavier nods, stuffing his hands into his pockets.  
"Well, bye!"  
Xavier walked past them without saying anymore to the duo. Chris looked back at Claire with a skeptical look on his face.  
"That was Leon? The "handsome gentleman" you told me about this afternoon?" Chris said in absolute disbelief as they started walking.  
Claire spoke in a lower volume, "Chris! Keep your voice down."  
"I don't know how you attract this kind of attention. He looked like a complete jackass to me. I'm completely baffled that every guy you meet is either an idiot, asshole, or all of the above."  
"He's not. Looks aren't everything, you know."  
"You saw how he looked at me?"  
Claire didn't respond.  
"Did you?"  
"You looked at him funny, too."  
"Claire, this Leon guy is bad fucking news, I'm telling you."  
"Let me just give him a chance, okay? Plus, you're not my father you know."  
Chris sighed, nodding.  
"Okay, I'm sorry. Just looking after you is all."  
Claire puts her hand gently on Chris' shoulder as she stops walking, which he does as well.  
"I appreciate it, I really do. But I don't need your protection. I know it's hard and all, but you just gotta let me go. There's only so much you can do, and quite frankly you have to trust me enough to accept that I'm an adult, you're an adult, and that we can make decisions for ourselves. I saw something in him, and if he's like what you said, then fine. If he's the nice and sweet guy that I thought he is, then great. Just please respect my choices and my dates unlike the last couple times, okay?"  
"Bu-." Claire cut him off quickly.  
"Okay?"  
Chris nods slowly and agrees in a soft tone of voice.  
"Okay, okay." The two hug for a few seconds before walking again.


	8. 6: Doubt

**Chapter VI: Doubt**

On the next morning, a Saturday, Leon woke up at around eleven. He didn't have to go back into the station until Monday, so he had the weekend to himself. After Leon showered and brushed his teeth, he looked over at his phone. Leon was highly tempted to dial Claire's number.

Thoughts began to run through his head.

 _I only got her number yesterday, don't wanna sound desperate. But then again, I don't wanna seem like a dick that shows no interest in her. But what if she's already forgotten about me? I didn't even try the number, how do I know if it's a legitimate number or not?_

Leon paced back and forth with his thoughts scrambling around in his head for a solid minute before he finally decided to take out the paper Claire gave him and dialed the number. Right at the first ring, Leon hung up immediately. He wasn't prepared at all. His heart pounded inside of his chest.

 _Come on, Leon, pull yourself together. She didn't give you her number for nothing. She obviously wouldn't mind hanging out with you, so what's the damn problem?_

Leon took a few deep breaths to relax himself and dialed her number again.

After a few rings, Claire picked up.

"Hello?"

"Uh, Claire? Hi. It's uh, me. Leon. Remember, from the store?"

"Oh! Yeah, I do." Claire sounded thrilled to hear from him. "So, what's up? You still up for our date later?"

*Date? Today? The hell is she talking about?*

"Um...huh? What do you mean?"

"Our date is today by the coffee shop. You uh...you didn't forget, did you?" Claire's excited and ecsatic tone faded away, feeling disappointed that Leon didn't know what she was talking about.

"Uh..."

"You agreed yesterday when we ran into each other again."

 _Again?_

"Oh, right...right. I'm sorry, I just had a lot of shi-, I mean stuff going on last night. I'm so sorry. It's just this new job and all, really making me just...uh...f-forget about things is all. But I never forgot about you. I still called, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Claire still sounded pretty disappointed.

"I'm sorry, I really am! I can still pick you up? We can still have this date if you want."

Claire thought about it in silence for a few seconds.

"Claire? You there?"

"Yes, I'm here. Okay, alright. Pick me up in the next hour. I'll get ready."

"Alright! Where do you live?"

"I live at 45th street. You'll see a gas station and some apartment buildings around it."

"Alright, I'm on my way. See you there!"

"See you."

They both hung up. Leon rushed over to his closet to decide which clothing he'd bring to the date. He didn't know what to wear. Casual attire with ripped jeans and a t-shirt? A collared shirt with slacks? He didn't want to look too laid back that he seemed to show no interest, but at the same time he didn't want to seem "too dressed up" for a date at a coffee shop.

Meanwhile, Claire did the same as she tried to pick out an appropriate wardrobe for the date. She eventually went with some jeans, a white t-shirt, and a pink hoodie over it. In addition to the clothing, she put on red lip gloss and perfume as well.

Claire walked downstairs from her room into the living room, where Chris sat on the couch staring at the television. Claire sat next to Chris and smiled at him.

"What you watching?"

Chris looked over at Claire, noticing she's dressed up, had perfume on, and had makeup on. He let out a big, exaggerated sigh while rolling his eyes a little.

"You're actually gonna go see him?"

"Yes. Is there a problem with that?"

Chris lowered his head and stared at his lap for a short moment, letting out a small chuckle while he shook his head a bit.. He looked back up at her with a small grin.

"Nope. No problem at all. Have fun. Just...be careful."

Her smile disappeared from her face.

"Chris."

His small grin was wiped away as well, sighing once again.

"Claire, look. I know what you said last night, okay? I know where you're coming from, now you need to know where I'm coming from. The guy looks suspicious as hell an-."

"Chris, that's ridiculou-!"

"No, Claire! I listened to you, now I want you to hear me out, okay? I-I'm just warning you. I don't know what you saw in him, but as a guy who has to deal with fucking dirtbags consistently, I think I have a more plausible assumption that this guy is a shady individual!"

"Oh my, God! Chris, really? Are you like serious right now? 'Plausible assu-.' D-Don't you even hear yourself right now? Y-You're taking this small twenty second encounter with him into a big deal, calling him 'suspicious'. Like, really."  
Chris' facial expression said it all after Claire said that. He was so baffled and his mind was riddled with utter disbelief that he raised his voice.

"What?! What, Claire?! Didn't you tell me you met him at a _fucking_ store?! Clearly that didn't take long enough to cough up your number like it's nothing. Do you do that to every guy you meet?"  
He began to mock her in an over the top feminine voice.

"'Oh, hi! I think you're cute! Here, call me and here's my address while we're at it!' And _I'm_ the one taking a 'small, twenty second encounter' into a big deal when you've literally gave him your contact! Am I _wrong_ for acting like this when you do stupid shit like this?! Am I?! Give me a fucking break! Next thing you know, you could bring a fucking killer into _my_ damn house! Jesus, does it _ever_ kill you to think for a _second_ , Claire?!"

Both of them stayed silent after Chris' last comment. They looked away from each other awkwardly, unable to hold eye contact. Chris immediately felt bad for what he said to Claire and wished that he could take it back, but at the same time he felt like it was necessary to address as her older brother. A few moments passed in silence, then Chris spoke up in a much softer tone.

"I'm sorry...I-...Enjoy your date." Chris got up and walked away upstairs while Claire stayed where she was.

The door rang about thirty minutes later. Claire looked up from the floor and walked over to the door to open it. She smiled widely when she saw it was Leon. He was dressed in simple clothing. He had some sneakers, jeans, and a jacket on.

"Hi, Leon!"

"Uh, h-hey there. You uh, you look pretty nice." Leon felt extremely nervous when he spoke to her.

"Aw, thanks! You look good yourself, handsome." Claire giggled while Leon responded with a blush and grin.

"So...do we get going now, or...?"

"Mhm, let me just grab my purse. One sec."

Claire turned around and fast walked up the stairs to her room. Leon stood at the porch with his hands stuffed into his pockets and whistled a soft tune as he waited.

Claire grabbed her purse from her desk and turned around. She saw Chris between her doorway. Claire stared at him awkwardly and didn't have anything to say. Chris slowly approached her and tightly hugged her. He spoke in a soft and calm tone.

"I won't get involved this time. I-I do trust you. Have a good time, alright?"

Claire hugged him back tightly. Once they finished hugging, Chris stepped aside and allowed Claire to pass through. She walked downstairs to meet Leon at the door.

"Alright, found it. Let's go!" Claire said filled with cheer.

Around thirty five minutes later, Leon and Claire sat in the coffee shop and spoke for the majority of the date. They both seemed to really enjoy each other's company.

"You know Leon, I was right about you."

"Right about what?", he said with a big grin on his face.

"You really are a sweet and kind person. This was amazing. We should hang out again soon."

"I'd love that.", Leon said with a blush.

"You aren't like the others I've been with. You really are-."

Leon zoned her out suddenly, along with the background noise around him. Time slowed down for him as he felt a strange feeling inside of himself. Leon lightly gasped and slowly turned his head towards the window next to him. His eyes felt like a magnet as he stared at one individual in particular, which was Xavier. He thought he went mad. He looked just like him. He saw himself! Xavier looked back at Leon with the same sense of shock. Of course, Xavier did come from a universe where they were already aware of alternate versions of themselves, but he didn't know that he would be in the area as him. Xavier didn't know how to react or what would happen if he interacted with him. Xavier quickly walked the other direction and Leon watched him go. Leon's heart pounded inside of his chest. He couldn't believe it. Was it just a hallucination? Or perhaps was it something else? Leon looked back at Claire and time went back to normal.

"-so glad I got to meet you, you know?"

Claire's smile slowly faded away when she noticed Leon out of breath. He held his chest and continued to pant hard.

"L-Leon? Are you okay? Leon?"

Leon didn't respond and Claire grew more worried.

"Leon?"

He couldn't speak at all. Kennedy was completely shocked by what he saw.

Claire quickly got up from her seat and went over to Leon who had his head hanged back from his chair.

"Leon?! Shit!" Claire quickly unzipped his jacket and placed her hand over his heart. She felt the hard, highly rapid beats.

Everyone in the shop looked at Claire and Leon.

"Leon?! Y-You alright?! Leon!"

He didn't reply and began to sweat profusely.

"Leon!"

Claire looked back at the people in the shop.

"C-Can someone call 911 o-or something?!"

Leon's eyes slowly closed and only heard the echos of his name being shouted by Claire in panic.


	9. 7: Hospitalized

**Chapter Seven: Hospitalized**

Leon slowly opened his eyes one by one as he woke up in a daze. He looked around the room and saw Claire in a chair beside him. Once she noticed that he'd woken up, she flashed a smile at him.

"How are you feeling?" Claire asked in a soft, concerning tone.

"W-Where am I?" Leon faintly asked which was followed by a grunt.

"In the hospital. You had me so worried. You were fine one minute and then suddenly the next, I don't know. You just started looking awful. You were sweating and when I felt your heart, I thought it was about to burst out of you any second. They said you might have had a heart attack or something."

 _Heart attack?_

Leon didn't know what to think of it. He never experienced any issues with his heart before, nor felt any signs of it in the past. The whole situation to him was puzzling. A short moment had passed until Leon finally managed to say something.

"Well...shit..." Leon carried a blank look on his face when he slowly choked out those two brief words.

A few seconds later, the knob on the door across from them twisted slowly and eventually swung open. A doctor walked into the room and shut the door behind him. He appeared to be a tall, skinny man around his forties and sported a bald look with a gray stubble beard, along with glasses. He looked up from his sheet of paper and noticed Leon was conscious and gave him a friendly grin.

"Hello, there. My name is Dr. Gibson. How are you feeling at the moment?" Dr. Gibson walked closer inside of the room.

"I uh...don't know. Okay for right now, I guess.." Leon replied in an unsure manner.

"Right, so..." Dr. Gibson paused as he pushed his glasses up against his face, closely observing the paper in his hand. He put the paper down on a table and cleared his throat and proceeded to resume his sentence.

"Mr. Kennedy, have you felt any types of problems with your heart in the past couple of weeks before this incident?"

"No, I haven't." Leon answered firmly.

Gibson nodded his head and asked another question.

"Have you faced any sort of problems breathing?"

"No, I breathe just fine."

"Any nausea? Dizziness?"

"No, not at all."

Gibson raised his eyebrow slightly before he gave him a quick nod.

"Alright. Mr. Kennedy, we'll have to run some tests with you shortly. I've read your previous medical records and such and uh...you don't seem to show any sort of issue regarding your heart, which is rather odd. Let me just report this in and once we're ready, we'll begin your evaluation." Dr. Gibson exited the room and closed the door softly behind him. Claire looked over at Leon and placed her hand on his forearm in a soft and delicate manner.

"I'm sure you'll be okay. Want me to stay with you for this evening?"

Leon looked back at her and felt surprised that she was willing to spend her time with him in the hospital. He grinned widely and nodded in agreement.

"Please?" Leon chuckled softly, which Claire did as well.

Leon sighed and laid his head back on the pillows. His eyes moved up at the ceiling and were glued there for a couple of minutes. Both of them were so silent that the sound of a single pen drop could fill the whole room. Their minds were riddled with thoughts. Claire unknowingly began to caress Leon's forearm slowly. His thoughts came to a full stop once he felt her gently stroking his forearm. Leon turned his head at her in a swift motion with a beamed look on his face. Her eyes met his for a few seconds before she looked back down at her hands. The caress came to an immediate stop as her cheeks turned bright red. However, her hands remained rested on his forearm.

"O-Oh! I didn't notice...Um, I'm sorry." Claire said in a quick fashion with a nervous giggle and an obvious sense of embarrassment.

"It's okay, Claire. Thanks for staying here with me. It means a lot, especially since we've just met. Not a lot of kind people exist to be willing to do something like that." Leon spoke in a serene tone while he smiled. Before Claire got to say anything, the door opened. Dr. Gibson stepped in and nodded at Leon.

"Mr. Kennedy, we're ready to begin your examinations." Dr. Gibson turned his attention to Claire.

"Miss, would you please wait outside in the waiting area? Need some time with the patient."

"Of course." Claire complied and got up from her seat. She briefly smiled at Leon as she exited the room. The doctor shut the door behind her.

Dr. Gibson began the tests. He drew some blood, checked his heart rate, and his blood pressure. An hour passed and Gibson couldn't find anything wrong with Leon. He had an average heart rate and normal blood pressure. Leon seemed like a healthy young man. The doctor came to a conclusion that it was just a really bad case of chest pain rather than a heart attack. Leon was allowed to rest in the hospital for the night however and had to be discharged the next morning. Claire was soon able to visit Leon in his room again. She stepped into the room and the two immediately made eye contact with each other. Claire walked over to the chair beside Leon and sat down.

"So? Are you going to be okay?" She felt quite perturbed and worried for Leon's health.

"I'm fine. They said that it wasn't a heart attack, which is good."

Claire let out a faint sigh of relief and grinned widely and felt elated to hear that Leon was okay.

"What was it, then?"

"Doctor said it was just really bad chest pain and I should take it easy for the next week or so."

"You want me to drive you home? I can get my car before you get let out."

"You don't have to, it's fine."

"I know I don't have to, but I'll do it anyways." Claire said with a playful tone, which made Leon chuckle.

"Alright, then. Thanks."

"Would it be okay if I stayed over as well? You know, since you told me earlier that you live alone right no. Kind of dangerous considering it could happen again." Claire showed genuine care and concern in her question.

"I'll be okay, Claire. You seriously don't have to spend your weekend doing this."

"Rather not take any chances. Things were going great earlier but in a second, here we are. I just wanna make sure you're okay. Life is tricky, Leon."

"My apartment is a huge mess right now, I haven't gotten a TV yet so it'll be extremely boring, an-."

"Then you can come over to my place."

"I really don't wanna be a bother."

"You're not being a bother, trust me. Everything will be fine. I just want you to relax for a while."

They both didn't say a word and looked into each other's eyes. The eye contact broke off after a moment once Leon looked down at himself for a bit. His eyes returned back to Claire's and he slowly nodded.

"Okay. Th-That'll be nice. I appreciate everything you're doing for me, Claire. I really do."

"It's nothing. Get some rest, you've been up all day." Claire said while she patted his hand tenderly.

"Alright. Goodnight."

Leon laid back on the pillows and closed his eyes.

 _Thank God for her._

It didn't take very long for him to eventually fall asleep, especially in the great mood he was in which was evident by the wide grin on his face.


	10. 8: Company

**Chapter Eight: Company**

An hour passed since Leon fell asleep. Claire checked the time on her watch and saw that it was almost one in the morning. She didn't want to wait too long until she got the car, so she decided to leave. She brushed his hair softly and rose from her seat quietly. Claire walked slowly out of the room since she didn't want to disturb Leon's sleep. After Claire left the hospital, she called Chris on her phone. A few rings later, he picked up.

"Hello?" Chris asked in a fatigued tone.

"Hey, Chris. I'm coming home now. Should be there in half an hour or so. Only gonna stay for a few minutes, though. Need to grab my car and come straight back." Claire earlier informed Chris of what had happened, which didn't surprise him on how late she called.

"N-No, no...I'll drive over there if you want." Chris gave off a hint of tiredness in his voice.

"Did I wake you up?"

"No, y-you didn't. I stayed up all nigh-."

Chris cut himself off as he suddenly yawned. He proceeded to finish his sentence.

"...All night. I'm good, I'll drive you." Chris insisted on driving her, which Claire ultimately declined.

"Yeah, sorry for waking you." Claire chuckled since she didn't believe him.

"I also called to um, ask you something. Ask if you know, if you'd be okay with something." Claire continued.

"What is it?" Chris asked.

Claire opened her mouth to speak but stopped herself. She wanted to ask if Leon could stay over for a few days, but it didn't seem like an appropriate thing to ask her brother over the phone.

"What is it?" Chris repeated himself.

"Um, actually...it can wait. I'll talk to you when I get home." Claire replied slightly timid.

"Is everything fine? Are you okay?" Chris' weariness in his tone wore off as he felt more concerned for Claire.

"Everything's fine, Chris."

"You can talk to me, Claire. What is it you need to ask me?"

"Chris, I'm okay. It's just something we need to talk about in person. Trust me, I'm okay." Claire reassured Chris.

She heard a deep sigh over the other end of the phone.

"Alright...alright, just get home safe."

"I will. You don't have to worry about me, okay? See you soon."

"See you."

They both hung up simultaneously. While she walked home, she made a few thoughts to herself. Claire felt pretty worried of what Chris would say.

 _What if he says no? What if he does agree but it turns into a big issue later on? Oh God, there's no way in hell he'd actually say yes, especially when he couldn't stand to even look at him for a few seconds. What was I thinking?_

Claire felt pretty foolish to tell Leon to come over without any regard of Chris' feelings on the situation. He didn't care enough to visit a stranger, so why would he care enough to allow them to stay over?

After half an hour as expected, she arrived home. She unlocked the house door and stepped in. Claire strolled into the living room and looked around. She saw her car keys on the table but didn't grab them.

"Chris?" Claire called out.

His footsteps were heard coming down the stairs behind her. She turned around and smiled at Chris. He walked up to her and they hugged.

"I'm glad you're alright, Claire. Geez, you must feel exhausted from sitting in that hospital all day." Chris chuckled.

"I'm going back in a few minutes." Claire responded firmly as they let go of each other.

"Right, you are. Well, I shouldn't take too much of your time." Chris replied with a faint sigh.

"And I...need to...I need to discuss something with you." Claire stated with a bit more courage than she had over the phone.

"Is there something wrong?" Chris asked as his eyebrows raised up slightly.

Claire took a deep breath and walked over towards the couch, which Chris followed. The two sat down and they stared at each other for a short moment.

"Can Leon...come over for a bit?" Claire asked anxiously.

"Uh...well, how long is 'a bit'?" Chris asked and made sure he didn't come off as aggressive. Although, he didn't seem too open to the idea from the start.

"Just a few days." Claire muttered softly.

"What?"

Claire cleared her throat and spoke in a more confident tone.

"Just a few days until he...starts to feel better."

"What's wrong with his place?"

"He lives alone, his place is a mess, he can't really...you know...Not really the most suitable place for him to rest. He needs to be somewhere where he can feel comfortable." Claire explained.

"And uh, how's this your problem?" Chris asked confusingly.

"It's not. He's a friend and I don't want him to be in some place where no one's around to check on him."

"So instead of going over to his place, your solution is to bring him into our home?"

"Please, you gave me crap for going with him on a date. I highly doubt you'd let me going into his own home without investigating." Claire rolled her eyes.

"Listen, you were right earlier. I shouldn't intervene with your social life, dictating who or who you shouldn't see, because I should trust you enough to not do something stupid. But this, can you really be annoyed with me for having an issue with this, Claire? What if I were to bring...Jill in and she started to live with us? How would that go?" Chris spoke calmly and didn't raise his voice.

"He's not _living_ with us, Chris. He's just staying over. Plus, I'm actually asking you."

"Fine, but the point still stands. Forget it, Claire. He's not coming over." Chris said without a thought in his answer.

"Chris, please. Can he just stay over for a single day?" Claire implored. Chris still didn't look very convinced.

"He won't be a bother. He himself didn't want to, but I kept insisting." Claire continued.

"I don't understand why you're vouching for the guy, then. He clearly thought it was a bad idea as well."

"Look, I spent the whole day with him. He's a sweet guy, I'm telling you. I just don't want him to get hurt again out of nowhere and no one is there to help him. We were having a great time and in a snap of a finger, he had to go to the hospital. I really don't want that happening to him again, I really, _really_ don't. You'll barely even notice he's with us. What do you say?" Claire looked Chris in the eyes throughout every spoken word. She gently grasped on Chris' hand. Chris thought about it for a brief moment.

"Fine. _One_ day, Claire. I'm still not sure how I feel about this, but if it makes you happy..." Chris agreed in reluctance. Claire smiled widely and hugged him tightly. She thanked him numerous amounts of times in joy.

"You won't even know he's here, I promise!" Claire exclaimed gleefully.

"I better not." Chris muttered.

Claire released the hug and checked the time.

"I should get going! Bye!" Claire got up and walked over to the door in excitement.

Chris looked down at the table and saw her car keys. He picked it up and called out Claire before she opened the door.

"Claire! Your keys!"

She turned around and was surprised she forgot them, since it was one of the reasons why she came over. He tossed her the keys and she missed the catch. Normally she'd be able to catch them, but she was so overwhelmed with joy, she wasn't able to. Claire bent down and picked it up.

"Thanks. Bye!" Claire opened the door and left.

Chris sighed and rubbed his face. He felt instant regret.

 _Christ, what the hell did I just do?_


	11. 9: Playing With Emotions

**Chapter Nine: Playing With Emotions**

On the same evening a few hours earlier, Xavier walked up the sidewalk. Occasionally, a few cars sped past him on the dark, quiet street. Suddenly, rain began to pour. Soon, his already dirty, worn out clothing from Karrob became drenched and uncomfortable. He decided to run inside of a nearby apartment building to get away from the rain. The lobby was completely empty and silent, only the sound of Xavier's damp footsteps filled the area. He sat against a wall and lowered his head. Thoughts jogged through his head once he remembered what happened earlier at the coffee shop. He still wasn't quite sure what to make of it. At first, he thought that maybe it was just an illusion, a figment of his imagination. But it felt too real. He had a feeling in himself that he's never felt before. Then he narrowed down to one possibility. He ran into himself. After all, he came from another universe, so it was a likely theory. However, what he didn't understand was what could possibly happen if the two actually met. Ideas popped into his head like wildfire.

 _If what we experienced felt...real, then...what does this mean? Do we posses the same power? Is the key to immortality...myself? No, it could be too dangerous. If he gets killed, then what happens to me? I can die as well...but if it goes well, I could be a God. If he's real, I have to study him and figure this out. He has to be real!_

Thoughts in his head continued to fire off rapidly. The flow of his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of an elevator slowly being descended from a higher floor. He didn't bother to look up, so he kept his head down. The elevator came to a full stop on the lobby floor. A heavy, loud creak sounded from nearby elevator doors, followed by light, delicate footsteps. It was a young, pretty woman in her early twenties. She had a short brown hairstyle and wore a green coat with a blue purse over her shoulder and ripped jeans . She went over to the exit of the building, but looked over at Xavier and raised an eyebrow. He looked up at her and he was struck with a sense of amazement. His heart began to pound and he felt a beautiful sensation in himself. Her appearance resembled his previous girlfriend back home. To the far corner of his mouth, a pleased smirk slowly formed. She examined his face and his filthy, saturated clothing, which had some blood stains riddled all over it. Xavier noticed her close observation.

"Uh, you okay?" The young woman asked cautiously.

Xavier's tiny smirk was quickly wiped off and he placed his hand gently on his side where one of the blood spots were.

"I'm uh...I'm hurt." Xavier replied in a lazy tone.

She looked closer at the blood spots on his clothes. Her eyes redirected back to Xavier's face.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" She asked curiously, but carefully.

"Fight. You have any uh..." Xavier stopped himself for a brief moment.

"You have anything to help me? I've been bleeding for a while now, haven't got the chance to stop it."

"Well, want me to get you a doc-?"

She was suddenly cut off by Xavier.

"No. No doctor." He answered firmly.

She seemed rather confused by Xavier's quick refusal.

"Can you help me? I just need anything to stop the bleeding."

She didn't respond and felt suspicious of Xavier. She instead began to walk away towards the exit.

"Please? I don't have money...or a place. I didn't even _start_ the fight. They kicked my ass and took whatever I had left. And the shit part of it all was that they knew I didn't have anything, they just did it for the hell of it. Please, just...at least help me with the cuts?" Xavier implored her while he tried to sound as innocent as possible.

The young woman stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder and stared at Xavier. She knew she'd feel remorse if she had left him there. She looked straight ahead at the exit and tapped her right foot softly. She closed her eyes and released a faint sigh. She turned around and looked at Xavier and nodded to him.

"Fine. Come with me. I'll help you, but you'll have to leave right away, and no funny shit, okay?"

The woman tried to sound strong and firm in her tone of voice. However, Xavier just thought of it as being adorable. He nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you!" Xavier thanked her with an artificial sense of generosity, which she didn't catch.

Xavier slowly arose from the floor. While he stood up, he let out a few believable short pain filled grunts. The woman walked back over to the elevator with Xavier and the duo stepped inside. She pressed floor sixteen and shortly after, the doors closed.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Xavier. Yourself?"

"Rebecca."

"That's a pretty name, Rebecca." Xavier said charmingly.

"Heh, thanks." Rebecca chuckled.

"Lemme see the cut." Rebecca continued.

"Can't we wait until we get inside? The cut is still bleeding, don't want it all over the floor here."

Rebecca nodded.

"Alright, then."

The elevator reached their floor and they stepped out. Rebecca unlocked the door to her apartment and opened it. She stepped aside so Xavier could enter first. Once he walked in, Rebecca checked her purse to see her handgun in it. She still felt a bit skeptical of Xavier. She zipped the purse back shut and entered her apartment. Once Rebecca closed and locked the door behind her, she pointed at the couch in the living room ahead of them.

"Wait there. I'll get the stuff."

Rebecca took off her coat and hung it up on a coat rack. She kept her purse in hand and walked off into the bathroom while Xavier sat down on the couch. He looked around the apartment. It was a neat, clean, and respectable place. There were many paintings and pictured hung up on the walls as well.

Rebecca thought to herself as she searched for medical supplies.

 _Shit, why did I bring this guy in? A fight, seriously? No way some guys jumped him and he managed to get away with only some cuts._

She immediately stopped her search and peaked her head out of the bathroom. Rebecca walked to the living room and stared at Xavier. He looked back at her. Rebecca tightly gripped on her purse.

"Show me it."

Xavier looked at her without a word spoken.

"Show. Me. The cut."

Rebecca repeated herself and spoke in a slower and serious tone. She unzipped her purse while she stared at Xavier.

"Rebecca...truth is...I'm not that hurt. I did get in a fight, but I'm not in serious bad shape. I just needed a place to st-."

Rebecca quickly took out her handgun from her purse and aimed it at Xavier.

"Get out! Get the _hell_ out!" Rebecca ordered Xavier.

He stood up and tried to persuade her.

"Please, miss. Just give me a chance. I had to say all those things because I was out on the streets for _too_ long! I-I couldn't...I couldn't stand it anymore. No one would help me, no one cared or gave a damn!" Xavier pleaded.

"I said get out!" Rebecca cocked the gun.

"Would you have even let me get close to you if I had asked if I could spend a couple of nights? Or at the very least a few change? I-I had to use pity! It's the only way people listen nowadays!"

"You don't know me, asshole! I'm not going to tell you again, get out!" Rebecca shouted louder at him.

"I'm sorry for lying to you! I just have no direction anymore, I don't even have a bed to rest my head on. I can understand why you're acting like this. You think I could be a threat since I'm a stranger and all, but that's fine. C-Can you show a little compassion, please? I highly doubt you know how it feels to live on the street with no home, no warmth, and no family. You experience a lot living out there. People rather feed a stray _dog_ than to even look at me! Can you even imagine struggling that badly and your fellow being doesn't even care? Can you?" Xavier's voice started to crack.

Rebecca stayed silent. She started to feel bad for Xavier.

"I-I implore you, please let me spend just one night. Like you said, no funny business. You can even watch me, I promise." Xavier begged.

"I'm not losing my sleep over this." Rebecca spoke softer, but maintained her serious tone.

The two stared at each other for a long period of time. Eventually, Rebecca's emotions overpowered her thoughts and reasoning.

"Fine, you can stay here for _one_ night. Got it?"

"Thank you. Thank you so, so much!"

She lowered her gun and dropped the purse to the floor.

"I'll start to make dinner. Stay put, understand?"

"Of course! Thank you, again!"

Rebecca walked off with the gun still in hand. Xavier leaned back and sighed with a big grin on his face. It went easier than he thought it'd go. Despite his very brief stay in Venix, he fell in love with Rebecca instantly. Xavier felt that he didn't need to keep up the act for any longer and was confident that things would soon fall into place.


	12. 10: Illusions

**Chapter Ten: Illusions**

On her way to the hospital, Claire ran through some thoughts in her head.

 _I can only hope this works out great. Maybe they'll get along._

Claire rolled her eyes at the last thought.

 _Who am I kidding? Chris will probably fuck it up as usual without giving Leon a single chance, even though he's such a sweet guy. We'll just have to see, I guess._

Around ten minutes passed before Claire arrived at the hospital. She was able to check back in to visit Leon. Claire peeked her head into the room and saw Leon presumably asleep. Claire stepped into the room and went over to the chair beside Leon's bed delicately. Without her knowledge, Leon was awake the whole time. Leon's eye followed her lazily from the doorway to the seat next to him.

"Hey, there." Leon said soothingly with a charmed smile.

Claire looked over at Leon in surprise.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"Nah, you didn't. I've been up for a while, now. Just laid here thinking about stuff, bored out of my mind."

They both lightly chuckled. While Claire was away, Leon sparked some questions in his head regarding one of the last images he was able to remember; himself. Leon felt a bit confused from it. He figured it had something to do with the incident.

"Well, you should go back to sleep. Shouldn't be up all night, Leon."

"Mind if I ask you a question, first?" Leon asked softly.

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

Leon started to speak but paused. He felt anxious as his muscles tensed up and his face had worry written all over it. Claire noticed Leon's distress and held his hand gently. She looked him in the eyes and flashed a smile of elegance his way.

"You can tell me anything. If it's anything...bad, I won't judge you. I want you to know that, okay? What's wrong?" Claire spoke with comfort.

Leon took a deep breath.

"Do you...by any chance can possibly tell what this means? Like...Like, you dream of this job, right? You want this job for years, and you finally make it. It becomes a reality. You have a loving family who supports you. You've met someone...great."

The two both grinned warmly at each other from the last comment. Leon continued.

"And despite all this, you see a big reflection of yourself. It just feels...so real. You look at it with a sense of... _shock._ You look at yourself with a sense of confusion as of course, it being a mirror you get the same reaction in return, but to actually see it...and feel it, it all just feels so bizarre. You begin to ask yourself, 'Is this reality?' Claire, I don't know if this was a sign or what, but...I don't understand it at all. And quite frankly, it scares me."

Leon sighed deeply. He felt like he had removed five hundred pounds of weight off of his chest. Claire took a moment to process what Leon had just said and finally replied.

"Maybe it's the pressure. It brought you great stress, perhaps. I can tell you've always dreamed of a perfect life, and right now everything's going well for you. But you're afraid of messing things up. The reflection of yourself is what you fear of seeing. You want to look happy, you want to _be_ happy. You're probably scared that one day, everything can slip from you. Your job, your family, everything, and you're just left with this big question, 'How?' Maybe you tried too hard, but maybe you didn't try enough. Leon, what you saw was merely caused by the pressure you put on yourself to not ruin things. I want you to feel relaxed. Let things flow in life. Just take one step at a time. You won't see that same reflection you've been seeing if you just slow things down and make the right decisions."

Claire replied in a sensitive, refined tone as she caressed Leon's hand. His heart pounded of exhilaration. Everything Claire said made perfect sense to Leon. The clear sense of affection and care in her voice made Leon feel quite fuzzy on the inside. Claire simply astonished him all around.

"You're right. I...I'll just let things come to me. I shouldn't worry too much." Leon said warmly.

Claire moved her free hand to Leon's forehead and softly moved it up to his hair. Claire started to brush Leon's hair with obvious signs of endearment. For a long while, they were both completely lost in each other's eyes. Suddenly, Claire leaned in close with Leon. Just as she was about to plant a kiss on Leon's lips, she stopped herself. Claire instead settled for a kiss on the cheek. Leon's face turned red immediately and he thought at that point his heart was about explode out of his chest.

"Now, get some sleep. You gotta wake up early in the morning." Claire whispered softly in Leon's ear.

Leon nodded in agreement.

"Right...G-Good night, Claire."

Leon managed to choke out some words, despite being overwhelmed with shock and amazement.

"Night."

Claire still had Leon's hand, even after when he eventually fell asleep. She wasn't ready to let go.

Around the same time on that late night, Xavier was allowed to take a shower over at Rebecca's. Unfortunately for him, there were no spare clothes, so he had to re-wear the same attire. The two sat back down on the couch after Xavier finished his shower.

"Now are you ready to tell me about yourself?" Rebecca asked who seemed rather curious.

"What is there to say? Not like you'll see me again." Xavier scoffed.

"Hey, as a person who cooked you something, allowed you to shower, _and_ stay the night, I think I deserve a little information, don't you think? Now, what's your story?" Rebecca demanded.

Xavier let out a sigh and shook his head.

"Look, it's complicated...and it brings back bad memories. I just...rather not, okay?"

Xavier appeared to be rather upset at that point. Rebecca finally gave up.

"Okay, sorry."

"What about you?"

"What _about_ me?"

"Uh-huh. What's going on?"

"Don't have much to say about myself, either." Rebecca shrugged her shoulders.

"I see." Xavier gave a smirk.

They sat in silence for a long moment. Xavier looked around Rebecca's place and gave several nods of approval. Xavier turned his attention back at Rebecca.

"Hey, I really appreciate you helping me out here. Seriously, you don't know how much this means to me." Xavier gave Rebecca a friendly smile.

"It's nothing. Just for the record, you could've just asked."

"Ask?" Xavier sounded confused.

"Yeah, instead of making up that story. I would've helped regardless."

"I'm sorry. Like I said earlier, when enough people neglect you, you do things you're normally against. I'm just glad I didn't resort to other things..." Xavier said faintly.

"I guess I can understand where you're coming from. Just don't do anything stupid out there."

"Stupid? Pft, never." Xavier chuckled.

The two sat in silence once again for a couple of minutes. Xavier looked down at his feet and directed his eyes to Rebecca.

"Actually...you're right. I should tell you a little about myself. It's the least I can do." Xavier sighed.

"No, no. It's okay. Really don't need to if you feel uncomfortable. It's fine."

"I'll be alright. After all, you're the first person I've actually...interacted with in a while. _Actual_ interaction."

Rebecca nodded as she crossed her legs and folded her arms.

"Go ahead, then."

Xavier made sure to keep eye contact with Rebecca throughout the story. He felt like it was very crucial to do so. Xavier cleared his throat and began to speak slowly.

"When I was born...I uh, didn't have much. Grew up in a single bedroom apartment, really shitty. Karen, my mother was such a sweet person. Even though we had little, she wanted to make the most of our situation. I guess you could say that she was a very optimistic person." Xavier let out a chuckle before he continued.

"And that bastard...Victor. Victor was my father, a poor excuse of one anyway. He claimed that he wanted to raise me to become 'a man', yet he would beat my mother senseless everyday. I'm not sure why besides the fact that he was a deranged lunatic and, their marriage just wasn't working, I guess. For years I lived in a home with this kind of brutal violence going on. When I was twelve, my mother finally couldn't take it anymore, and neither could I. I remember that...my mother was packing up our things. She had enough and tried to leave with me. Where were we gonna go? I had absolutely no clue. Unfortunately for us, Victor found out. They got into a heated argument for an extremely long time, until out of nowhere he cracked her right in the jaw and sent my Mom to the floor. I...I was petrified. And then..."

Xavier paused to take a deep breath. Rebecca uncrossed her legs and scooted over to Xavier. She gently rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Xavier...i-it's okay. You don't have to keep going..."

Rebecca said with great sympathy towards Xavier. However, Xavier kept on with his story.

"Victor just started pummeling her. Stomp after stomp, fierce punch after fierce punch, he didn't stop. Even when she was in a pool of her own blood, pleading to stop, he outright refused. After that, I...I just ran up to him and started punching his back with all my might. But since I wasn't even half his size, it didn't do much but piss him off even more. Victor backhanded the hell out of me, sent me face first to the floor. That evil, vile man went back at it, just beating on my mother. I refused to stand by...I..."

Xavier stopped again once his eyes filled with tears. Rebecca's eyes filled with tears as well and shared strong sorrow for Xavier.

"Please. R-Really, if this...if this isn't making you comfortable...j-just stop."

Rebecca couldn't bare anymore of the pain inside her when she heard Xavier's story, yet she knew it couldn't compare to how he must've felt. Xavier wiped his tears away and spoke softly.

"I-It's okay...I-I'll wrap it up, soon. Well, I...I walked into the kitchen and picked up the sharpest knife I could find. Came back to Victor who was still fucking her up and I yelled at him at the top of my lungs so he would stop. He stopped and looked up at me...and all that man did was laugh in my _face._ 'Put the knife down, boy. You don't know what to do with it.' That's all he said. Walked up to me...and I didn't even do anything. He smacked me back to the ground and like that, he was gone. Victor left the house. Left us in the house alone on the floor. My mother was so seriously hurt that she...well, passed away. I had to get put in foster home after foster home after that. I heard that my father did get caught and was put in prison for the murder of a wonderful, _wonderful_ woman. But that didn't make things better. My life was already ruined. Fast forward to me now being homeless. I ran away from everything. I felt like I didn't belong anywhere...And well, here I am."

Xavier finally finished his story. Rebecca felt so bad for Xavier that she sobbed in front of him. They both hugged tightly for a long time. Rebecca whispered softly into his ear.

"Y-You can stay...I-I'm so sorry!" Rebecca said through her tears.

"Thank you s-so much!" Xavier replied through tears as well.

Once Rebecca buried her face into Xavier's shoulder, a smile grew discretely on his face. He wasn't surprised of the outcome. After all, he knew things would eventually fall into place.


	13. 11: Faustin, We Have a Problem

**Chapter Eleven: Faustin, We Have a Problem**

Back in Karrob, Victor Faustin was having the day of his life. The mass murdering maniac Xavier Reddick was now loose in an alternate universe, and Faustin felt worried that Xavier could've killed numerous amounts of innocent people to gain even more power.

"I want this whole building on lockdown, right _now_!" Victor raised his tone.

"Nobody leaves this building! Got that?!" Victor continued, angrily.

He was furious. The man's eyes were filled with burning hatred for Xavier. "I'll have someone's head on a goddamn pike! Whoever did this is going to pay, mark my _fucking_ words!"

The operator felt horrible. He was pale, and looked like he was about to pass out. Victor noticed.

"Don't worry son, this isn't your fault." Victor tried to reassure the operator.

"Go home and get some rest. Take the week off if you have to." Victor added.

Faustin turned his attention to the Chief of Police.

"Chief, I want you to go through the tapes. I want you to find the bastard who did this." Faustin ordered firmly.

The chief nodded and rounded up his men.

"You heard the Mayor; we gotta find whoever did this! I want men searching every nook and cranny for anyone suspicious, I need people going through the tapes, and if we can get some statements from the employees and civilians, that would be great. Mayor Faustin is counting on us. We can't let him down."

Victor was later escorted to his mansion that evening by his personal bodyguards. The Mayor locked himself in his room and sat down at his desk. He scratched his chin and went through various options in his head. One individual in particular came to mind; the man who managed to capture Xavier. Faustin dialed a few numbers in a hurry on his phone. As numerous amounts of rings went off, he tapped his desk nervously with his fingers. Finally, someone picked up the phone.

"Hello? Yes, this is Faustin. I need you to come over as soon as possible. No, it can't wait. This is urgent. I wouldn't be asking you to come over if it wasn't important. Thank you."

An hour later, a couple of knocks was heard at the door. Faustin quickly got up from his seat and opened the door to his room to let the man inside. His appearance resembled Chris Redfield from Venix. Victor offered a handshake, but the man simply stared at him with a displeased look. Victor sighed and dropped his hand.

"Take a seat." Victor stepped aside as he directed him to one of the chairs.

The man strolled over to a chair and sat down. Victor sat in the chair across from him with his hands folded.

"What's this about, Victor?" The man looked upset.

"You haven't forgotten about Xavier, have you?"

"Of course not. What's going on, why am I here?"

"Someone rigged the machine. He never made it to the prison. He was sent to Venix instead."

"Jesus Christ, Vic. You gotta be fucking kidding me. No one did a sweep of the area before sending him off? The geeks in the lab coats never made sure the machine was working properly? I can't believe this." The man scoffed in disbelief.

"Everything was in order. We double checked – hell, we even triple checked. Do not be a fucking smartass with me, Jason." Victor paused for a few seconds. "I called you here because I need your help."

Jason let out a short sarcastic chuckle before he questioned Victor.

"What do you need?"

"I need you to head to Venix and bring back Xavier. He's a threat to the people of that universe. Nobody will be able to take him down."

Jason looked astounded.

"So let me get this straight. Someone breaks your machine, and the killer that I worked so hard to capture is sent to a different universe. So because your team is full of incompetent bastards who can't even guard an area, I'm supposed to leave my family here and go hunt him again? No thanks, Victor. I have no reason to put up with this bullshit. I got lucky last time. Xavier almost killed me, remember?"

"He almost killed you, but you managed to stop him. And you did it when he was strong. Right now he's weak; he doesn't have the powers he used against you. This is the perfect opportunity to grab him. Jason, please. You're the only one who can do this. Xavier killed all those agents. I can't afford more dead agents.

"Oh, so I'm disposable?"

"No, you're the best. Jason, R&D came out with some new toys. We have all sorts of gadgets and weapons for you. Even at half of his power, the fight is now even. This isn't going to be some half assed manhunt. This is a full-fledged federal operation."

Victor stood up and grabbed a small device sitting on his desk. He sat down once again and offered the device to Jason.

Jason took the device and leaned back on his couch, examining it.

"I spoke to the big man. You got clearance to eliminate this fucker. All you need to do is bring back some evidence of the kill. We're not playing around anymore. It's clear Xavier has some people on the inside, or some very clever outsiders. We can't risk another incident, and we can't let him cause a massacre in Venix."

"What the hell is this?"

"That's your mission briefing. I want you to take a look at it and let me know if you're up for the task. If you're not comfortable with something, I could make some arrangements. As the first part of your payment, the President himself will be giving your family a new home in the hills. It has a big backyard for the kids and the dog, as well as a pool. It comes with furniture and everything, even a couple of game consoles for your son. If _anything_ happens to you while on the job, your family will live a good life. They won't be missing anything. Our agents will take care of them."

"Jesus Christ, Vic. I'll uh… I'll take a look at this when I get home." Jason reluctantly agreed.

"Thank you so much, Jason. You have no idea how much this means to everyone. Is your car fixed or is it still acting up?"

"It's still broken. I had to take a taxi."

"Agent Carter will be waiting for you outside. She'll take you back home."

The two rose from their chairs. Victor offered a handshake to end the meeting, which Jason shook firmly. Victor walked over to the door and opened it for Jason. Jason looked at him for a brief second before he walked out.

Later that evening, Jason was dropped off at his home. Jason unlocked the front door and entered his house. The lights were off, and his family was asleep. Or so he thought. He shut the door quietly and discretely. Jason turned on the light and saw his wife, who resembled the appearance of Jill Valentine from Venix, on the couch with her legs crossed and her arms folded. She had an irritated look on her face.

"Karen? I uh...thought you were asleep." Jason said while he took off his jacket.

"Asleep? While you're out there doing God knows what? No thanks."

Karen gave him the stare of doom. She stood up with her arms still in a folded position and slowly approached Jason as she continued to speak.

"Where were you, Jason? Do you know what time it is? It's like three in the morning. Why the fuck did you sneak out?"

Karen demanded strongly. Jason didn't know how to respond.

"Start talking before I lose my temper." Karen threatened, which led to a faint sigh by Jason.

"I had to go see Faustin. It was important."

Jason tried to take Karen by the hand softly, but was ultimately rejected when she took a step back.

"Oh, so you had to go see that jackass, huh? I guess drinking some beers with your friend is more important than spending one night with me. You have some nerve, Jason."

"We didn't drink anything. Not even a glass of water. He asked me for some help, and gave me something to check out. So if you don't mind, I'll be in my office. I'll go upstairs after I'm done."

"Alright, fine. Just don't take too long." Karen marched away upstairs to their bedroom, clearly annoyed.

Jason was surprised at how well the encounter with his wife went. He then made his way down to his office in the basement. Jason locked the door, turned on the lights, and grabbed an energy drink and half a burger from his mini fridge. After he ate his cold burger and took a few sips from his drink, Jason opened the device Faustin gave him earlier. The device had a hologram, which contained mission information. The President himself and the CIA director gave the briefing.

A short man who looked like he was in his late fifties started speak first. He was dressed in a grey suit with a blue tie, and had black hair and wore glasses. Jason had no knowledge of who the man could possibly be.

"Good day, Mr. Rogers. If you're seeing this, then it's because Victor Faustin, Mayor of Jucana, was able to convince you to hear our proposition. Mayor Faustin has given you the basic details of this assignment, so we will be covering some more advanced things. You will be given full access to our arsenal, as well as some new technology not even our units have access to. You will be able to pick your own weapons and attachments, your own suit for urban operations, and you will also be given a sum of money that you will be able to use in the Venix universe."

The President appeared in the hologram. He was a tall bald man wearing a black suit and a black tie. He looked like he was in his late fifties as well.

"Rogers, you have very limited support from the CIA apart from the gear you'll be getting. We will send you in by nightfall, once you have all your gear and you're ready to go. A lot of things are at stake here, so we need you to keep it quiet once you arrive to Venix. They do not have the same knowledge as us, and they think they're the only living beings in the universe. We've dug up some information on the planet. It's called "Earth", and the alternate version of you goes by the name of Chris Redfield. He has a sister named Claire Redfield. Unfortunately for us, he's living in the same city Xavier was sent to. It's a small town, so chances are that you might bump into Chris and his relatives sooner or later. We need you to keep everything under control, do what you have to do and get out. We can't risk bullets or energy flying in the streets."

The CIA Director started to speak again.

"Tomorrow, we'll send someone to pick you up. He'll be there at noon. Talk to your family, do whatever you need to do. Though I would recommend you get some sleep."

The hologram stopped the transmission and it turned itself off afterwards. Jason sighed deeply after he had processed everything he heard from the briefing. Jason left the hologram on his desk, stood up, and made his way upstairs. He stepped into the bedroom and saw his wife laying down on the bed where she faced the wall. He walked over and sat down on his side of the bed. Once Karen felt the weight on the bed, she turned to face him.

She got up and gave him a kiss.

"Sorry for being a bitch earlier. I didn't know you went to see him. He doesn't usually call, so I guess it was important."

"Yeah, he talked to me about something. And I'm gonna need to go tomorrow. I don't know when I'll be back."

"What? Jason, you just recovered from your wounds. It's only been a month."

"I know, honey. But it's really important. You know the guy I brought in, the mass murderer?"

"Of course I remember him. He's the one that almost killed you, that bastard."

"Someone rigged the transport to the prison. He's roaming free in a different universe, in a planet called Earth." Jason paused and sighed.

"Victor called me because he needs me to go after him." Jason continued.

"No, you're not leaving. Not after what he did to you. You just recovered, what do you think he'll do to you this time?"

"He won't do anything, I promise you that. He's weak right now. I… Well, I can't say. It's confidential. But I'm getting support from some people in some very high places. They're also paying me to do this. It's a great deal that I can't turn down. Believe me when I say this, but I'm only doing this for you and the kids."

"No amount of money will replace you if something happens. Please, sweetheart, don't go." Karen held Jason's arm tightly.

"I know how hard it sounds, but nothing will happen. And in the event that everything goes horribly wrong, you won't need anything for the rest of your life. We're talking about owning a mansion, and the money that comes afterwards. The house is the first part of the payment."

"I don't approve of this." Karen sighed.

"I just don't want to lose you." She added.

"You won't. The guy was tough, but I beat him in the end. Besides, I'm not going to capture him this time."

Jason looked away, as he felt a sense of shame.

"I'm going there to kill him. I'm a hit man on federal orders." Jason muttered once he dropped his head down.

Karen noticed the way Jason reacted. She gently wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug.

"I don't care what you are. I still love you." She felt like crying.

"I'll uh… I'll talk to the kids, I'll tell them you're going on a trip. When are you leaving?"

"I'm being picked up tomorrow at noon by a federal agent. He'll take me to the HQ and I'll get my gear."

"Okay then. We can get something to eat tomorrow before you go."

"That would be great. We should get some sleep."

"Yeah, we should."

They both got the under the sheets and laid down. Karen got close and cuddled with Jason. She looked up at him and whispered softly.

"I love you. Please, promise me you'll come back to us safely." Karen said through tears.

Jason looked down at Karen and noticed the tears. He gently placed his hand on her cheek and wiped a tear away from her eye.

"I love you too, sweetheart. I promise you, nothing will happen to me. We'll be back together in no time." Jason spoke soothingly.

The couple kissed each other passionately for a few seconds. Soon after, they both fell asleep.


	14. 12: Departure

**Chapter Twelve: Departure**

"Honey. Honey, wake up."

Karen spoke softly to Jason while she gently shook him. Jason opened his eyes and looked over at Karen.

"It's almost eight. They'll be here for you soon, so you should get ready." Karen added.

Jason peeked over at the clock. It was five minutes before eight.

"Shit, already?"

Jason let out a tired groan and directed his eyes back to Karen.

"Alright, thanks sweetheart. You still wanna go out today?"

"I mean, if that's okay with you."

"Of course it is, hon. Let's wake up the kids and get dressed."

Jason replied with a grin. Karen leaned over and gave Jason a kiss. The two got out of bed and began to get ready for their day. After they brushed their teeth, Karen walked into one of their children's room. She took delicate steps towards the bed, which was occupied by a small figure. Karen lowered herself and began to shake her child lightly while she whispered soothingly.

"Josh, sweetie. Wake up, Josh."

The child woke up and rubbed his eyes. He was no older than six years. Karen started to brush his hair tenderly.

"Come on, we're gonna go outside to eat some breakfast."

Josh didn't seem so tired once he heard that they were going out to eat.

"Pancakes?" Josh said eagerly.

"Sure. Anything you want." Karen giggled.

"First, brush your teeth and get dressed. We'll leave in about fifteen minutes." Karen ended the sentence with a kiss on Josh's forehead.

Josh grinned widely and got up from his bed. He raced out of his room and towards the bathroom in a childish manner. Karen walked out after Josh.

"Slow down, honey!"

Karen called out to Josh, before Karen and Jason bumped into each other. She looked up at Jason with a grin.

"Well, he's excited." Karen chuckled, which Jason did as well.

Jason wrapped his arms around Karen's waist and looked into her eyes lovingly without a word said. Karen placed her hands on Jason's shoulders as a response.

"Did you tell him, yet?" Jason asked.

"No, I haven't. I'll tell him afterwards. But I should go grab Sarah."

"Don't worry, I'll get her. Just keep an eye on Josh, make sure he isn't doing anything crazy." Jason chuckled.

"Alright, sweetie."

They kissed for a brief moment and walked off in opposite directions. Jason approached Sarah's room down the hall. Once he stepped in, he saw Sarah, his seven month old daughter peacefully asleep in her crib. A smile crept up on his face from that sight. Jason walked closer to the crib and stood over it. He reached down and scooped up Sarah gently in his arms. To his surprise, she was still asleep.

A few minutes later, Jason walked downstairs with Sarah securely in his arms. Jason spotted Josh and Karen on the couch in the living room. He flashed a smile at them.

"Hey, you guys. Ready to go?" Jason asked.

Karen nodded.

"Yeah, let's get going."

Karen noticed how much Jason enjoyed holding his child in his arms and spoke again.

"I'll drive." Karen smirked.

"Okay, sweetheart."

Jason gave her a grin. He then turned his attention over to Josh.

"Come on, bud."

Josh sprung off the couch excitedly and followed his parents while he jumped up and down. Karen grabbed the house and car keys and they all exited the house.

They spent a decent amount of time together outside. The family ate their breakfast, took a stroll, and drove around the neighborhood. It was a considerably nice day out as well. They finally returned home at around eleven in the morning, with only a short hour left until noon. Sarah was put back to sleep in her room by Jason and Karen. Josh was in his room where he sat on his bed and did some drawings. Jason and Karen peeked into the room and looked back at each other. It was time to tell Josh of his father's departure.

The couple entered their child's room. Karen took a deep breath and started off the conversation.

"Hi, sweetie! What you up to?" Karen asked nicely.

Josh turned to his parents.

"Drawing. Look!"

Josh proudly held up his poorly done drawing of what was suppose to be a bird. Both Jason and Karen had to squint and examine it carefully to get an idea of what the drawing could possibly be.

"Looks really good!" Jason said cheerfully.

"Mhm, it's nice. You know what, if you keep it up, your work can even be hung up on the fridge." Karen said, which encouraged Josh.

"Yay!" Josh cheered in exhilaration.

"Would it be okay Daddy and I sit down and talk to you for a sec?" Karen asked.

"Okay." Josh replied.

Jason and Karen both went over to sit on the bed. Josh was in the middle of both of them. Karen brushed Josh's hair tenderly while she looked over at her husband. She managed to hold back tears that snuck up on her suddenly. Karen closed her eyes and sighed softly. Her eyes meet Josh's.

"Well, you know your father loves us very much, right?"

Josh nodded silently.

"Uh...you see, Daddy's gonna be away on a...trip. He won't be here for a while."

Josh didn't understand what his mother meant by that. He gave off a puzzled look, which Karen noticed. She looked up at Jason for assistance.

"It's just...a business trip kind of thing. It's when you have to...uh, well go somewhere else for a while. It's part of my job, but I won't be gone long, alright buddy? "

Jason explained softly to his son in a reassuring manner. He took off a bracelet from his left wrist and put it on Josh. In case he never came back, he wanted Josh to at least have something to remember him by.

"This will hopefully be...good enough in the meantime."

"Okay, Daddy."

Of course, Josh still never knew what was going on. He was too young to comprehend the situation. Jason hugged his son tightly. He wasn't ready to let go, he never wanted to let go. But Jason knew that he had no other choice if he wanted the best for his family. Karen felt like bursting into tears at that point. Finally after what felt like an eternity, he let go of Josh and smiled at him.

"I'll see you soon, and I-I'll miss you. Bye-bye." Jason barely managed to choke out the final word.

"Bye, Daddy."

Josh saw the sadness in his father's eyes. Naturally, it made him feel upset as well. He never saw his father this emotional before. Jason and Karen nodded at each other and both stood up and exited the room. The two walked downstairs and entered the living room. They sat on the couch, awaiting for the door bell to ring. Karen began to speak, almost in a whisper.

"I don't know what I would do if I lost you, Jason. I-I really don't. H-How would I know if you're alive or not? I..."

Karen's voice began to crack, and eventually she started to burst into tears.

"I can't _imagine_ a world without you! P-Please, the money means _nothing_ if you're gone. O-Oh, God...P-Please, don't go. I-I'm...I can't lose you!"

Karen cried into Jason's shoulder. Jason himself couldn't hold in tears any longer.

"H-Honey. I'm doing this for the family, okay? If I don't do this, our lives will _never_ improve."

"How's losing you a step up in our life? _How?!"_ She cried harder.

"You won't lose me. Sweetheart, look at me."

Karen kept her face buried in Jason's shoulder.

"Sweetheart, please. Look at me." Jason repeated.

Karen finally looked up at Jason and they made full eye contact.

"Remember our promise last night? I promised that I'll come home to you guys safely, right? I'm a man of my word, Karen. I'd never break a promise, especially not towards the ones I love most. I'm doing this because you all matter to me, and I'm coming back because you all matter to me. That bastard won't get me. Now, I need _you_ to promise me something. No matter what happens, whether I come back or not, make sure you take that money and take good care of yourself and our beautiful, precious children."

"B-Baby..."

"Please, hon...Can you do that? I'm depending on you to keep this promise. Please?" Jason implored.

"O-Okay, Jason. I-I promise..."

They both kissed passionately for a solid minute straight and hugged afterwards.

"I love you so much." Karen whispered into his ear.

"I love you, too. I'll miss you." Jason replied as he caressed her back.

The door bell rang shortly after. The couple gave each other one final kiss before Jason got up and went for the door. Jason opened the front door and stepped foot outside. He saw a tall agent who sported blonde hair and blue eyes. The agent also wore a ballistic vest with a navy blue shirt underneath, along with black jeans. On the left side of his hip, he carried a Sig Sauer P226 in his holster. His black SUV was parked in front of Jason's house.

"Mr. Rogers?" The agent spoke loud and clear towards Jason.

"Yeah, that's me."

The agent nodded.

"I hope you're ready to go, because we got a long day ahead of us."

"Of course."

Jason approached the SUV and hopped in the back. The agent made his way to the passenger side and opened the door. He entered the vehicle and turned his attention to the driver.

"Take us back to HQ."

The driver nodded and started driving. Jason let out a big sigh as he stared out the window. He helplessly watched his house go further in the distance. Jason looked straight ahead and didn't say a single word the entire trip.

Almost an hour later, they arrived to HQ. Jason and the agent stepped out of the vehicle and made their way inside.

Jason and the agent entered the armory. There was a firing range with multiple targets set up on the other side of the room. Other agents were also in the room acting as security.

Jason looked around and saw many gun racks, with weapons ranging from submachine guns to designated marksman rifles. There were also multiple shelves showcasing different types of handguns.

"Take a look around, see if you like anything. If you can't decide, just let me know."

Jason approached one of the shelves and grabbed a pistol from it.

"Glock 34, good choice. It has a magazine of 17 rounds and they're 9x19mm. It comes with a polymer and aluminum magwell for easier reloading, a Trijicon HD Night Sight for quicker target acquisition in the dark, and a Micro-Tac laser sight." The agent seemed to approve of Jason's taste in handguns.

Jason aimed the weapon to get a feel for the sights. He liked them, but he wanted to make sure they actually worked in the dark.

"Can you turn off the lights?" He said to the agent.

The man nodded and made his way to the light switch. He switched the lights off and the room was completely dark. Several of the agents felt uneasy. Some even cocked their weapons, which Jason found amusing. He aimed the pistol at the targets and fired a few shots, which hit the targets.

"Okay, turn the lights back on. This'll do." Jason said in satisfaction.

An agent switched the lights on and the others placed their weapons back in their holsters. After a couple hours of observing and testing weapons, Jason was finally ready. He was equipped with the Glock 34 and the E-90, which was a pistol that used up energy instead of bullets. It was capable of recharging ammunition and eradication of targets. He was also given Venix currency, some small plasma grenades, a lightweight kevlar vest, a tracking device, a watch with a hidden hologram in it for communication, and most importantly a return device to come back home after the mission.

"I think I'm ready." Jason said.

"Right. Escort him to the transport, gentlemen." The agent instructed.

Jason and the group of agents exited the room and made their way to the transport. Soon, the men marched down the long, empty hallways with the transport room across from them. Once they all entered, a small group of people were seen on the right. Mayor Victor Faustin, the CIA director, a tall monitor of the President, a few bodyguards, and a man whose appearance resembled of Albert Wesker from the Venix Universe. On the left, a young woman was operating the machine. Jason walked towards the chair in front of him alone. He stood in front of it and took a deep breath before he sat down. Jason panned his head at the people in the room. Victor Faustin stepped up and spoke.

"Jason Rogers, first off I'd like to say thank you so much. Your family will benefit greatly, I can assure you. We'll also ensure that they'll be in safe hands, nothing will happen to them. Now, just keep your _full_ attention on the mission. Xavier cannot get away again. Kill him at all costs! We'll be listening closely, so report in frequently, and only return once the task is completed. And do _not_ kill any other being besides Xavier under any circumstances. Try not to draw any attention. Am I clear?" Victor said firmly.

Jason felt like rolling his eyes.

"Loud and clear."

"With that said, I'm assuming you've been given the proper sum of money and equipment to carry this out. Anything you'd like to say before you go? Any requests?"

"Just make sure my family is okay, that's all. I'm ready, let's get this over with." Jason said confidently.

"Very well. Godspeed." Victor nodded to the operator.

The operator pushed a few buttons on the machine. Shortly, a bright light filled the room. A moment later, Jason was completely eradicated from Karrob and was on his way to Venix.


	15. 13: First Impressions

**Author's Note:** Hi! This is a relatively short chapter, but the next one will be much longer. I've taken a lengthy break and I'm ready to get back on track with this story. Hope you guys enjoy! I'll be polishing up grammatical errors as well throughout the story as well.

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen: First Impressions**

Meanwhile in Venix, Leon was finally discharged from the hospital the following morning. Leon sat in the passenger side of Claire's car, with Claire being in the driver seat, She inserted her keys into the ignition and started the car up. Claire drove off and headed for her home.

"I seriously can't thank you enough for everything." Leon said with a smile.

"Like I said, it's no problem. I just...well..." Claire paused.

"What's wrong?" Leon questioned her as he leaned forward slightly from his seat.

"It's just that Chris will probably have a problem with it. Just don't worry about the things he might say. He's _really_ overprotective." She chuckled.

"Uh...Chris?" Leon seemed puzzled.

"Yeah, my brother. Don't you remember? Anyway, he thinks you're bad company or something. Said you looked at him 'funny'."

Leon thought to himself.

 _What the hell is she talking about?_

 _"_ Ah, well...damn." Leon awkwardly chuckled.

"Once he sees how much of a nice guy you are, you two will get along nicely." Claire finished off with a grin.

Leon glared out the window and began to let his mind wander. He had a lot of things on his mind. His new life, his new job, his relationship with Claire, everything. But the thing that hit him the most was _himself._ The coffee shop. The image, the sensation. It all felt too real. Perhaps Claire was right. Maybe he was putting too much stress on himself and he should just relax. But maybe it was something else. Leon felt his head throbbing violently, like it was ready to explode from all the confusion and questions he had. Was it really him or was it nothing at all?

His thought process came to an end when Claire resumed speaking to him.

"Hey, Leon. I was wondering if you'd like to...well, I dunno. If you ever start to feel better we can go out again. Continue where we left off." Claire grinned after asking shyly.

"Oh, of course! Sounds great. I'm looking forward to it." Leon replied with a smirk.

"Perfect!" Claire cheered.

Eventually, Claire and Leon arrived at her house. After parking her car in the driveway, they walked up to the front door. Claire dug into her purse and pulled out the house keys. She turned her attention to Leon and lowered her voice.

"Whatever happens, don't let him intimidate you, got it?"

Leon faintly chuckled and replied back at the same volume as Claire's.

"I'll be fine."

Claire took a short breath. Her hands were a bit shaky and her palms were sweaty. She never felt this nervous introducing another man to her brother before. Claire finally mustered up the strength to unlock the house door. After the two stepped in, she closed the door behind them gently. Chris and his girlfriend, Jill Valentine were sitting on the couch in the living room. Both Chris and Jill turned their heads to see the duo that just entered.

"Hi, Claire!" Jill greeted her with a joyful tone, while Chris stayed in silence, eyeing Leon closely. Claire gave Jill a friendly wave as she walked into the living room with Leon. She began to proudly introduce him.

"Hey, guys! So, this is Leon, the one I've been talking about."

Jill observed Leon's appearance very closely, moving her eyes up and down on him. She maintained her friendly smile and finally greeted Leon.

"Hi, Leon. Nice to meet you. Name's Jill."

"Nice to meet you too, Jill." Leon replied somewhat awkwardly after noticing how she looked at him.

Chris and Leon glared at each other for a few seconds. Leon sensed Chris' disapproval of him fairly easily. He scratched the back of his neck nervously with his sweaty palms.

"Hello. It's Chris, right?"

"Yeah. You guys want something to eat? Must be hungry from last night."

"Sure!" Claire agreed eagerly. "Where we going?"

"Eh, I can make something here. I'm sure you guys are a bit too exhausted to go outside." Chris started to get up, but Claire quickly gestured him to sit back down.

"No, no, no! It's okay. I'll make something. I want you both to get to know Leon for a little while."

"Sure?" Chris questioned her while he took a short peek at Leon from the corner of his eye.

"I insist. Go on. I'll be in the kitchen." Claire concluded before she walked out of the living room.

Both Chris and Jill directed their eyes on Leon, who felt uncomfortable, exposed, vulnerable. It was like four lasers beamed directly at him at once. He flashed a small grin, the kind a shy child would. Jill cleared her throat before speaking softly.

"Leon, how are you? Heard some things about you."

Leon spoke carefully and slowly. He had to make sure to use the right words. After all, he wasn't the best at first impressions.

"I'm...great. How are you...two?"

"We're fine, thanks." Jill smiled. She looked up at Chris and wondered if he was going to contribute anything to the conversation other than blankly staring at Leon. Chris peeked down at Jill and back at Leon.

"Claire likes you...a lot, despite not knowing you enough and all." Chris finally said.

"What do you mean by that?" Leon asked curiously.

"Heh, well...no, it's nothing, but you guys knew each other for a few days?"

"Uh-huh. We met at the store and...instantly clicked I guess." Leon chuckled while rubbing the back of his neck.

Chris leaned forward with his hands together and stared Leon down. Their eyes only locked for a mere second before Leon looked down at the floor out of awkwardness. Chris followed it up with another question.

"Tell me, Leon. What do you do, anyway?"

Leon looked up at Chris and replied confusingly.

"Huh?"

"Your job."

"Oh, well...I'm being recruited into the police department in the city." Leon stated, but not as proudly as he would've usually.

"Great, great. I'm into that too, you know...Well, something similar anyway."

"What exactly?" Leon questioned Chris innocently.

Chris brushed the question off with a faint chuckle, as if it was a light joke. Leon naturally faintly smiled back. A few moments of silence passed. Finally, he couldn't take it much longer.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where your restroom is?" Leon asked politely.

"Upstairs, down the hall, to your left." Chris replied. Leon stood up and thanked him before walking upstairs. Jill placed her hand on Chris' shoulder and giggled.

"He doesn't seem too bad. Has manners, unlike the others Claire brought in." Jill said.

"We'll have to see how the rest of the night plays out." Chris wrapped his arm around Jill.


	16. 14: New Face

**Chapter Fourteen: New Face**

Xavier slept the previous night away like a child on Rebecca's couch with a satisfied grin on his face. Rebecca however, did not. Instead, she stayed up all night sitting in a chair next to the couch and thought about Xavier's upsetting story. Her empathy for him grew dramatically each time the horrible images popped into her head. But at the same time, she was worried. She was never put in such a situation. Rebecca never experienced a person so emotionally scarred that she felt the need to be their support. And it happened so sudden!

Rebecca let out a stress filled sigh and buried her face into her hands. It was at that moment when Xavier slowly opened his eyes and woke up to an early morning. He stretched and let out a yawn that was rather loud, which got Rebecca's attention. She smiled at him warmly.

"Morning." Rebecca said softly. Xavier turned his head at Rebecca and flashed a charming grin at her.

"Morning to you, too." Xavier sat up from the couch and began to rub his eyes.

"Sleep well?" Rebecca asked.

"Yeah. I haven't slept this good since...well...forever, really. Forgot what a good night's sleep was." Xavier responded faintly.

"I'm glad to hear. You're feeling okay too, right? Much better than before?" Rebecca asked.

"Much better. Like I said, I haven't felt so good in a long, long time." Xavier said while he scratched his head and ran his fingers through his hair.

They were quiet for a while until Rebecca finally broke the silence.

"You know..." Rebecca paused while examining Xavier closely. "...we never got the chance to get you out of those dirty clothes. It must feel so uncomfortable." Rebecca finished her sentence sounding genuinely concerned for Xavier.

He looked up at her with a smirk and folded his hands together.

"Yeah, but these are the only ones I have." Xavier shrugged with a smirk.

"Can't be wearing the same thing over and over without washing it at least, Xavier."

"I washed them...just in a river, which was last week." Xavier looked a bit embarrassed.

"A river? I-I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound insensitive..." Rebecca immediately felt bad.

"No, no. It's fine, I understand. It's just what I have to do, you know? Like I said, these are the only clothes I have."

"Let's buy you some, then." Rebecca chuckled. Xavier looked at her with an expression of slight surprise, but on the inside he was highly amused.

"Buy me clothes? You'd _actually_ be willing to do that for me?"

"I let you come inside, eat, shower, and sleep. Why wouldn't I at this point?" Rebecca giggled slightly.

"Well, it's just that...not a lot of people on this...er, 'planet' is willing to do such a thing." Xavier lowered his head for a moment and sighed deeply before looking back up at Rebecca in the eyes with a sincere look on his face.

"Rebecca, we hardly know each other and in this short period of time, you did all of this...for me. Most selfish people would call you an idiot, a fool. But...the truth is, you're not. You're an extraordinary person. You could've let anyone in here, anyone with the wrong intentions, anyone with the wrong mindset...but you knew that. You knew that and you _still_ did it. You did it because you care...You weren't looking after yourself. You weren't looking for a reward. You were looking out for others to give them the help that they desperately need, which no one else is able to do. And-." Xavier paused again and looked deeper into Rebecca's eyes. Rebecca at that point was already sold by his words. Tears rolled down to his cheeks as he continued.

"And...I know, this sounds pathetic. Look at me, getting all sentimental over some fucking clothes." Xavier laughed while he wiped away his tears. Rebecca stood up and sat next to him on the couch and placed her hand on his shoulder. The two locked eyes for a long while in silence. He resumed in a very soft tone of voice.

"I thought there was nothing left for me in this world, Rebecca. I thought there was absolutely _nothing._ But you...you brought light in the darkness. You're the one who helped me escape this...this black hole of pain a-and misery. I now realize that the suffering isn't life. It's _part_ of life. And part of life is overcoming it...overcoming it with someone."

More tears rolled down Xavier's cheeks, but this time it was Rebecca who wiped them away for him. Xavier smiled warmly at her.

"Thank you...for being a human being." Xavier concluded.

Rebecca's eyes filled with tears as well. She grinned widely and spoke in the same tone of voice as him.

"I'll make you something to eat, then we can go out, okay?"

"Sounds great...thanks." Xavier replied.

Rebecca rose from the couch and started to walk away, but was stopped when Xavier gently grasped her arm to get her attention. She turned around and glared at him with a puzzled look, and it was like that for a long time. Finally, Xavier spoke.

"Don't you work or...something?" Xavier spoke cautiously, which made Rebecca let out a faint giggle.

"Yes, but I have a late shift tonight, so we're free for the day."

"Oh. Uh...g-good." Xavier chuckled awkwardly.

"You gonna give me my arm back or are you gonna keep it as a souvenir or something?" Rebecca teased Xavier playfully. Xavier's face immediately turned blood red and he freed her arm.

"Sorry about that. I...forgot." Xavier laughed it off nervously.

"Don't worry about it." Rebecca smiled widely at Xavier before walking off, while Xavier simply sat there closely observing her. Everything went smoothly and he was pleased.

* * *

Leon on the other hand felt trapped. He stood around in the bathroom for a couple of minutes. His heart felt like it was ready to explode, his soul ready to be soon obsolete, all because he liked Claire. Leon never put this amount of pressure on himself. _Never!_ Not even on his first day of being a rookie, and becoming a police officer was his lifelong dream. How could a person impact him so much in such little time? How could a person make him feel so out of character? It was like a fantasy to him. Then suddenly, it sunk in. Leon remembered the things Claire said to him back in the hospital.

It all made sense.

The shocked lookalike, the incident that put him in the hospital, the strange sensations that he felt whenever he was around her.

He was scared of messing up. He was scared of messing _everything_ up. If someone could change a person so much, make them care, make them feel, then it's something bigger than anything, even their dream job.

It was love.

Leon Kennedy was in love with Claire Redfield.

He was never in love before, so to him it made perfect sense. If this was just any other girl, he'd still be downstairs with no sense of awkwardness being around her family in her home. But this was different, completely different.

At that very moment, Leon knew what he had to do. That was to face the many obstacles in his way. The challenges, the struggles, everything for Claire. He had to impress her overprotective big brother and prove that he isn't like the others, that he truly cares for Claire. Whatever happened in the past, whether he remembers it or not is just that. The past. History. Behind them in time.

Hiding in a small bathroom from the situation wasn't going to impress _anyone._

Leon proceeded to splash some water on his face and looked closely in the mirror. He saw himself. _Himself._ Leon S. Kennedy. Unlike before, before him was a confident young man with a positive future ahead of him. Kennedy took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door and made his way downstairs.


End file.
